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Monday, March 09, 2009

BPL@Night to Host Vincenza Scarpaci, Author of The Journey of the Italians in America

The library is proud to host author Vincenza Scarpaci for a special lecture and book signing on Monday, March 30, at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Library’s Arrington Auditorium. Scarpaci used a significant amount of research materials from the Birmingham Public Library’s Archives Department for her book The Journey of the Italians in America.

Italians have influenced American life since the beginning of the new Republic. Thomas Jefferson adapted the classic Italian architecture of Andrea Palladio in designing his home and the University of Virginia; discussed agronomy and political philosophy with his neighbor, the Italian-trained physician and merchant Philip Mazzei; signed the Declaration of Independence along with William Paca of Maryland; and invited Italian musicians to form the first marine band in Washington D.C. Subsequently, millions of Italians have immigrated to the United States, bringing with them a distinct set of beliefs, traditions, and customs, which have been preserved and passed down through the generations.

Brooklyn native Vincenza Scarpaci is a writer and teacher. She graduated from Hofstra University in New York in 1961 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and went on to obtain her Ph.D. in history from Rutgers University in 1972. She has worked as a consultant, grant writer, and volunteer coordinator in addition to her considerable teaching experience at the university level. Her work has been published in journals and encyclopedias across the globe. She resides in Eugene, Oregon.